In many English classrooms across America, assignments to read full-length novels are becoming less common. Some teachers focus instead on selected passages — a concession to perceptions of shorter attention spans, pressure to prepare for standardized tests and a sense that short-form content will prepare students for the modern, digital world.

Or, Jones adds, perhaps “this mentality of ‘Why should I think it through when I could get the answer on my phone?’” But another large question looms over this story and much of the thinking Jones has been doing in the last few years regarding teaching: Are college students struggling with reading more than they did previously?

They have to move on quickly because of pressure for teachers to cram more into the curriculum, the teacher said. “It’s like spinning plates, you know what I mean? Like it’s a circus,” she